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Started off pretty good.

Good stuff man

I've been scouting some pretty good coyote runs for this year. Gonna wait till after deer season and duck is done then put the hurtin on them. I heard muskrat were getting really good money this year. I'd like to get into them but runnin yotes and them and working would be a bit too much. Especially to get any volume of them.

Top one looks good. Nice work Jim.

Neither one is really very full yet. The Gray was considerably better than the Red.

Would've been trophies next month.
Great work Jim, get'er done!

Sweet! Is the leather still dark on your dogs? I was hoping to get some fox sets out this Sunday but not sure I might have to wait until next weekend. I will only have Sunday off. Damn work and hunting is getting in the way of my trapping.

Bet that red still brings better money. The Chinese love those early reds!

quackhead wrote:Sweet! Is the leather still dark on your dogs? I was hoping to get some fox sets out this Sunday but not sure I might have to wait until next weekend. I will only have Sunday off. Damn work and hunting is getting in the way of my trapping.

These are the first two, but so far so good. The coons are still a couple weeks away yet, at least. I don't have any coon sets out, but usually I catch them in the fox dirt hole sets, anyway.

assateague wrote:

quackhead wrote:Sweet! Is the leather still dark on your dogs? I was hoping to get some fox sets out this Sunday but not sure I might have to wait until next weekend. I will only have Sunday off. Damn work and hunting is getting in the way of my trapping.

These are the first two, but so far so good. The coons are still a couple weeks away yet, at least. I don't have any coon sets out, but usually I catch them in the fox dirt hole sets, anyway.

I've been seeing guys getting teens and twenties for green skinned coon over in the Midwest already. I might try a few sets for coon when I put some fox sets out. My priority is to get a reliable snow machine so I can hammer the marten hard. I believe they're the most bang for the buck. Muskrats would be my second best bang.

That's the way to do it for coon. If I could get $12 green skinned, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Scraping those bastards sucks.

That Jeep is going to make a 16 year old girl new driver very happy some day.

It's a little funky at times.

assateague wrote:It's a little funky at times.

On its good days?

Let's just say I hate it when the temperature gets above about 60. And that can in the bottom left corner is an open can of mackerel that's been in there since Friday morning.

You should throw a couple pics of your sets on here. Are you just using dirt holes or do you mix it up? Are your sets heavily guarded so you can get the grays? Or do you target the reds?

I'll see if I can take some pics. Unfortunately, it freaking rained buckets again last night, so they're probably wrecked today. Again.

I use nothing but dirt hole sets, unless I get a digger, then all bets are off, and I'll try a lot of stuff to get him. None are very guarded, but I do always put a little stick in front, laid on the ground so they have something to step over. I put it about an inch from the loose jaw- further back, and I find they step on the jaw. If the trap's bedded good, it shouldn't matter, but I don't like to risk it.

Same sets for reds and grays, just location is the difference. Grays rarely go more than about 10 yards from a wood edge. For reds, I look at the field, and whatever catches your eye, whether it's a pile of stubble, or one weed that the combine didn't cut, a pile of bean stems that the combine shit out, or whatever, that's where I set. If it catches your eye, it's a good bet it'll catch a red's eye too.

Assa, do you not have many coyotes around you. Of all Your sets you never catch any? Seems like around here we have 50x more coyotes than fox.

They're getting more widespread, but it's still rare to see one.

Caught three more possums and a little coon. Shitty day, shitty weather. Rain all night last night, damn near 70 degrees out today. Critters aren't moving and aren't real hungry. Oh well.

I took a few pics, but the sun made them sort of crappy.


A typical set in a harvested field




I make the bed pretty deep. I like them to have to step down into it a little.




Edge of pan is about 9" from the front of hole. I just use my hand for a gauge, same as snares.




After bedding the trap well, and filling in around it, cover it with a piece of crinkled up wax paper.

Then sift some dirt to cover it, brush off the pan and lightly pack the dirt. Then sift to cover the pan. Put a handful of leaves, corn husks, bean shats, whatever you got, in the sifter, and scrub some through to blend in the dirt. Then gently pick all the small pieces off the pan only.




Then I add a small stick or something (in this case, a small piece of soybean plant) in front for them to step over. Sort of hard to see in the pic. Then add lure and you're done.

By the way, I put that set there yesterday because of that small patch of weeds/grass right behind it. Even that little bit will catch a critters eye. Even a fucking possum.

What, you don't put those $5 opossums up? Nice looking set. Do you put your trap that for back incase wily coyote shows up? Do you use bait in the hole or just lure? What lures are you using? Hopefully next check goes a little better for the k9's.

I keep telling myself I'm going to start putting them up, but I can never bring myself to put those ugly stinking things in the Jeep.

I use bait early and then late. I usually use it with lure. I use Hawbakers Red and Gray 200 almost exclusively, but also use Leggett's #1 some, too. I never use a coon specific lure. I'll also put couple pieces of down on the backer. I have a bag with a couple handfuls of buffleheads breast feathers in my bag.

assateague wrote:I keep telling myself I'm going to start putting them up, but I can never bring myself to put those ugly stinking things in the Jeep.

I use bait early and then late. I usually use it with lure. I use Hawbakers Red and Gray 200 almost exclusively, but also use Leggett's #1 some, too. I never use a coon specific lure. I'll also put couple pieces of down on the backer. I have a bag with a couple handfuls of buffleheads breast feathers in my bag.

I guess that gives you a good excuse to shoot those little things

Nice! Your making me jealous now

Don't be- I'd trade all the coons I get for a shot at some of your marten. Although I'm not sure if know how. You put a conibear in some sort of bucket set on a tree, don't you?

And if you'd like to come get some of these $5 possum, feel free. I got three more of those cocksuckers today. I'm gonna feel like a dick if possum goes for $12 a crack, and I threw $300 in the tax ditches